Driving Schools

[Alloy Dave]

Been to one? Was it good? # days? Your car or theirs? Where? Price?

I've never been to one, but I felt like it when my dad taught me to drive by putting me (first time ever behind the wheel, I was 15) in a 1970 Chevy Vega wagon, on a fairly steep uphill, with a clutch (e-brake engaged) and said "Ok, now we're going to get McDonalds for lunch after you get up that hill". LOL He was like a drill sargeant, but it was amazing how fast I could learn when the pressure was put on me.

This place offers a great price if you buy a new Corvette. You use their cars, and it's in Paruhmp, Nevada
https://www.springmountainmotorsports.com/driving-schools/corvette-performance-driving-schools

[twobjshelbys]

Been to one? Was it good? # days? Your car or theirs? Where? Price?

I've never been to one, but I felt like it when my dad taught me to drive by putting me (first time ever behind the wheel, I was 15) in a 1970 Chevy Vega wagon, on a fairly steep uphill, with a clutch (e-brake engaged) and said "Ok, now we're going to get McDonalds for lunch after you get up that hill". LOL He was like a drill sargeant, but it was amazing how fast I could learn when the pressure was put on me.

This place offers a great price if you buy a new Corvette. You use their cars, and it's in Paruhmp, Nevada
https://www.springmountainmotorsports.com/driving-schools/corvette-performance-driving-schools

I did Bondurant 3 times. I got a deal because he put up classes in the silent auction at the Shelby American Collection party. I ended up getting the classes for about 1/2 price. The first class was the novice class and was 4 days. Days 1-3 are learning the basics - heel-toe, skid pad, etc with progressively more track time until the end of the 3rd day was basically open track. Day 4 in this class was a full day of Formula Ford (miniature F1 cars - they were the funnest cars I ever drove).

The other two were advanced classes. I had originally intended on bring my Cobra but the weather didn't cooperate and the second time I was going to bring the GT and similarly weather from Colorado to Phoenix wasn't conducive. In the advanced classes you can drive your own car but they don't recommend it - saying you'll go through a set of tires and brakes and you'd just as well burn ours and just drive your own the last half of the last day.

Sadly, Bondurant closed... I think there's still something there run by former employees but I don't know if it's anything what it was. When I went he used Corvettes, and later sold out to Dodges (a huge step downward). People liked the Vipers but they dropped them when Dodge dropped them and the Challengers just didn't compare to the handling of the Corvettes.

Spring Mountain is the new Corvette school. When you buy a 'Vette you get a two or three day class. Ford does the same with the GT500. I've driven their course at the Ford GT rally and it was a fun course, much more topography changing than Bondurant.

I'd encourage you to do the class. You'll learn things that apply to every day driving too.

By the way, at the end of the Bondurant classes you got a SCCA regional card. (One of the sessions was real race start - lined up, pace car, etc.) I got the slip but never got the card after the first class. At the advanced I asked and they gave me another slip but I never did it since by then the rules required I get an annual physical to get the card and since the only track nearby had a reputation for not being friendly to high end cars I decided I wasn't taking the GT there so let it lapse again.

[Alloy Dave]

Gold info Tony, thanks….rep points